Composite body for automobiles



June 30, 1925. A

- J. LEDWINKA I COMPOSITE BODY FOR AUTOMOBILES- Filed April 28, 1926 s Sheets-Sbeq'b 1 @5 7 751 mozmgmk Jimef30, 1925.

v.J. LEDWINKA COMPOSITE BODY FOR'YAUTOMOBILES 1920 f a Sheets-Sheet '2 Filed April 28 J. LEDWINKA Jurie 30, 1925.

COMPOSITE BODY FOR AUTOMOBILES s Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 28, 1920 Patented .lune 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,543,857 PATENT orrics. i

JOSEPH LEDWINKA, Oil? PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR 'IO EDWARD G. BUDD MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

COMPOSITE BODY FOR AUTOMOBILES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itlinown that I, Josnrir LEDWINKA, a citizen of the .linited States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have madea certain. new and useful invention in Composite Bodies for Automobiles, which the fol-- lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to composite bodies for automobiles.

The object of the invention is to provide The invention consists substantially int-he location, and rel-f as will be as shown cmistruction, coni'bination, I ative arrangement of parts, all more fully hereinafter set forth; in the accompanying drawings; and-finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings,-- Fig. 1 is a view insideelevatioirof the wooden fran'ie for a composite bodygeinbodying the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is-a bottom plan view of the same. is a top plan view of a portion of Fig. 3 the same.

Fig;- fl is a view in perspective showing in disassembled relation the various sheet metal stampings employed intlie. eom msi'te body embodying my inennem Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the sheet metal stampings in theirassenibled relation. l

Fig. 6 is a viewv in side,eliwati 'm showing a portion of the completed composite body.

Inthe manufacture of certain types of automobile bodies it has heretofore been a common practice to constructa wooden frame and to apply sheet metal stampings thereto to produce a;c0mposite body. In

such vstructures as heretofore carried out bent or curved wooden members are emjiunie, seat' si Applicatioafiled Aprii'28, 1820. Serial 110.377.2 19.

-ployed in building up a skeleton frame to receive thesheet metal panels constituting the seat backs and touneau. The provision of curved or bent wooden sections adds very subslantially and materially to the cost of construction of the womlen part of the compositi'i frame necessitating the employment of steainingapparntus in which the wooden pieces are steamed prior tobendingns well as bemlingdevices to effect the'l'ieml'in'g oi the thin wooden pieces into the desired curved contour of the seat backs. It, is among the special purposes of my present inventionij to provide ,acomposite body which eliminates these andother objections encoun tei' lnrrbtofbre in the construction of colnzpo'site bodies. i i

In carryingoit my invention I construct a wooden skeleton frame of plain substantially SUfldgllhPlOCCS to constitute the bed xport's'and vertical side posts, but I elin-rinate any frame for receiving the at backs whether oi a runabout or of a uning can type of body, and I apply sheet Steel stani'pings to such frame, which, when 'etlier toconstitute in eli'ect an integral exteriorsheathing. for the wooden frame of the composite body; In this manner 1 am enal ledto employ easily manufactured sheet steel slampings, and to avoidthe necessity for employingcurved frames or railings for supportiiigtlie seat backs, and hence I am enabled to produce avery greatly simplified stimcture of wooden frame; work which is reelangular shaped l'rame indicated at 13,

sce'l igs; l and 3, supported on risers H, and in the (usual the rear seal the rectangular l'ranie l5 is supported upon risers 16 and a supporting trestle l'irthe risers ii and )plied, are welded or otherwise secured.

. receive the door hin 16 and the'trestlc 17 being suitably mounted on the side stringers 10. The front and rear supporting structures are built up of plain wooden strips requiring no special bending and secured together in the ordinary manner. Suitably secured to the front endof the wooden frame work is the inclined; toe board 18 which is supported in vertically inclined position by posts 19 carried by the stringers 1U. Suitably secured tokthe side stringers in are \'ertically"disposed wootlei'i posts 20, 21, and 22, the upper body portions of which are unln'aced and freely disposed. These postsare arrangedin pairs at opposite sides of the wooden. frame and constitute supports to receive the sheet steel stampiiigs constituting the shell or sheathing of the con'iposite bocy. The posts 20 form the doorv posts for the front doors of the body and tmwhich the front doors are hinged, said posts being formed witlrrecesses 23 to ges. They also constitute supports for the cowl stainping 'il. he set of posts 21 constitute the door posts between the front and rear seats, and the" rear doors are designed to'be hinged thereto, said posts being provided with recesses 25 to receive the rear door hinges The stamping-s "A6 are designed to be applied" to these posts 21, and said posts also constitute supports for the front seat back stampq .ing 27. Thepair ofposts 2'2 constitute the I body posts at the real-edge of the rear doors and afford means for receiving and retaining the tonneau or rear seat back stamping 28 in the case of a touring car body.

The body shell stampings 24, 26, 27 28, are stamped out to the required shape and curvature to form the outer sheet n'ietal shelhof the body with thedesired curvature, andv in practice these stampings are made;

separately and are applied to the wooden skeleton frame of the" con'ipositc body and secured thereto in any suitable or convenient manner and are secured together by electrically welding them, or otherwise, so as to form in efiect an integral sheathing or shell.

These stampings are likewise. suitably engaged to the frame posts 20,91, 22, and when applied to the wooden fraine and secured thereto and to each other th y cooperate with the skeleton wooden frame to constitute a complete composite body of exceedingly I. is simple structure which s light in weight and which is strong. and durable and economical to. manufactures Of course the shell stampings may bevaried in'their shape'and contour to conform to any desired stream line i effect or type of car body, and these stamp ings being of standard shape for any particular design of car body can be produced and manufactured in quantities expeditiously and economically. In securing the body shell stampings, the tonneeu or rear seat back stamping, including the seat back proper and sides thereof as indicated at 28, see Fig; 4, is applied around the rear seat frame structure 15 with the front vertical inturned flanges 30 of such stamping applied over the front vertical edges of the posts and secured thereto in any convenient manner. Likewise, the forwardly extending portions 31 of the stamp ing" 28 with its upper inturned flange portion extends forwardly along the side sills 10 of the skeleton frame, the horizontal flange 32 forming a continuation of the vertical flange 30 of stamping 28 and extending over a curved wooden gusset 33 of the wooden frame. The lower horizontally kittending inturned flange 34. of the. stamping 28 is designed to engage underneath the lower edge of the stringer l0 and is suitably secured thereto It will be observed that the stamping 28 is supported entirely by the seat frame structure 15 and posts 22 and longitudinal sill members 10 of the wooden frame, and hence I avoid the necessity of employing the usuai curved wooden' frames for the seat backs. By disengage over theinner vertical edges of the posts21 to which said flanges are secured, and said stampings are formed with longitudinally extending portions 36, 37 the portions 36thereof forming a junction with the forwardly extending portions 31 of the rear stamping/:28, and the inturned flanges 38, 39,01 the extensions 36, 37, coopefiite with the flanges 32 on the rear panel and corresponding flanges 4C1 on the cowl stamping 2-1 to constitute the rear and front door openings, the flanges engaging over sets 40 of the wooden framework in the door openings. The for-thirdly extending side portions of the stamping 27 are likewise secured at their front vertical edges to the post structures 21.. The cowl panel stamp ingnfll is likewise formed with interned flanges ail on rearwardly extending portions 42 whic-lrconform to and form junctions with and substantially continuations of the extensions 37, and flanges 38 of the post stampings 26 at the front door opening, the flanges ll of the cowl stamping engaging orer gussets ll), and the rear vertical edges of the cowl stamping engage over therear :vertical edges of the posts 20. In applying 'te ral shell or sheathin if desired, the upper edges of the stampings 27, 28, may be formed in the usual manner with the flanges 44; for the application thereto of the usual upholstery or seat,

side and back cushions.

Of course it will be understood that the usual sheet steel seat pans indicated in dotted lines at in Fig. 6 may be placed upon the seat frames 13, 15, to receive the usual seats for the body.

The upper edges of the longitudinal wooden sills and the adjacent vertical edges of the posts are recessed, as indicated at 45, 46, Fig. l, to form seats in which the edges of the gussets 33, 40 and 43 are received.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I provide an exceedingly simple composite body structure, which is economical to construct and easily assembled, and in which the weight is reduced to a minimum.

Having now set forth the objects and nature of my invention, what I claim as new and useful and of my own invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is.

1. In a composite body structure for automobiles, longitudinally extending side sills, door posts extending substantially vertically therefrom and having their upper ends freelyvdisposed, sheet metal body stampings provided with integral reinforcements extending from the free body of one post to the wmobiles, a framework disposed insubstantially a horizontal plane, door posts extending substantially vertically from the sides of said framework, the upper bodies of said posts being freely disposed, means at the juncture of said posts and framework to prevent'lateral displacement of the lower ends of said posts, in combination with sheet metal body tsan'ipings provided with integral reinforcements extending from the free body of one. post to the free body ofthe other whereby upon joinder of said framework and body stampings said reinforcements are adapted to laterally brace the upper ends of the posts.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 24th day of April A. D., 1920. y

JOSEPH LEDWINKA. 

